A Day in a Life
by Bonecrestdragon
Summary: A collection of drabbles written at odd times of the night. Mainly Cloud-centric. Story ratings will likely range from K to M. Will be bumped up when needed.
1. Sketch

**Ugh. I need to be working on my multichapter fics, I know. I don't even know where this came from.**

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After defeating Sephiroth (again) on the outskirts of Edge, Cloud wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He had bought his own apartment away from Seventh Heaven, no longer able to bear the sorrowful-but-still-hopeful looks Tifa sent his way. He still visited every once in a while, sometimes to see Denzel and Marlene, other times just to get a drink. Tseng, Reno, and Vincent visited him in his apartment every now and then; Tseng when he needed something and couldn't reach Cloud's phone, Reno when he needed someone _other_ than his fellow Turks to talk to, and Vincent whenever he was in town and felt like checking up on the blond. All in all, things were fairly normal, something Cloud had wished for for a long time.

However, Cloud still couldn't help but feel like there was something _missing_ from his life. The delivery service helped satisfy his natural urge to wander. Tseng's home remedies- namely green tea and honey- helped with the insomnia. Journaling helped with the nightmares. Vincent sparred with him whenever they ran into each other outside of Edge, quelling Cloud's desire for combat against a worthwhile opponent- and occasionally his desire for _other things_. But he still couldn't squash the feeling that there was a gaping hole in his life.

He brought it up with Reno once over a few beers and Tseng's homemade Wutaian- the Director of the Turks could cook, something he would have never guessed- and was surprised when Reno suggested he take up drawing again.

Unbeknownst to most of the population of Edge, Reno and Cloud were quite the artists. The red-headed Turk would often turn in reports to Tseng with creepily accurate portraits of Elena or Rude- or perfect landscapes of the office if no one was in there with him- in the margins where he had grown bored of his work and started to doodle. Cloud had once entertained his bunkmates back in his infantrymen years with stupidly good drawings of their drill sergeant, Sergeant Hawke.

But Cloud hadn't drawn in _years_. He wasn't even sure he could anymore.

That's how Reno of the Turks and Cloud, the Hero of the Planet, ended up sitting in the middle of Cloud's living room, laughing over each other's drawings of their friends- Reno's of Tseng's face of shock when Reno managed to _successfully_ slip a firecracker into the Wutaian man's desk without him noticing, Cloud's of Tifa's expression when Rude asked her out on a date. Admittedly, they were piss-ass drunk and probably would have laughed at Sephiroth coming back to life (again), but Cloud felt more relaxed than he had in a long while.

And by "a long while," he meant before he could even remember clearly.

After that one little moment, Cloud was hooked. He started keeping a sketchbook with him at all times, making rough sketches of wherever he went that he cleaned up at home. His room was filled with drawings on loose-leaf sheets of paper, most done late at night from memories his mind drug up: Tifa smiling softly to herself while cleaning the bar, Denzel playing with some of the other Edge kids, Marlene and Barrett sitting on the edge of Marlene's bed talking about nothing at all, Vincent helping Rufus learn to walk again after they cured his Geostigma, Reno braiding Tseng's hair while said man was asleep. There were ones of Zack and Aerith mixed in there too, mostly of Zack's cheerful grin while he trained with some other SOLDIER and of Aerith's soft smile as she tended to the flowers or baked some kind of delicious treat.

And Sephiroth. So many of Sephiroth. Most were from Cloud's Cadet days, memories of Sephiroth doing menial, non-violent things. Like getting coffee from the shared workroom on the first SOLDIER floor. Or doing paperwork, sitting behind his desk in a white button-up with a slight scowl on his face. Or walking through the halls of Shinra tower beside some faceless SOLDIER, discussing the finer points of swordsmanship or whatnot. Or even standing in front of the windows in his apartment, watching the sun rise over the Midgar desert. Cloud wasn't certain when he had gotten most of the memories, or if they were really his, but he sketched them out anyway.

But among the piles of friendly, mostly-calm drawings there were hauntingly familiar ones. Meteor. The burning of Nibelheim. Crater, where Cloud had handed Sephiroth the Black Materia. The Reunion. The pool where Cloud had lain Aerith to rest. The outcrop where Zack had died. Though few and far between, they were there, almost casual reminders of a more painful time.

So, for once, Cloud took a page from Sephiroth's book. When the clutter in his room became too much, he neatly stacked the papers in a pyre outside and took a fire3 to them.

And though he felt slightly bad for the waste of recyclable paper, nothing ever felt as strangely satisfying as watching it burn.


	2. Son of a Turk!

**Hey, guys and girls and variations in between! I wrote another one! I hope you like it! (:**

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"Dad?!"

Zack watched the Turk who was to accompany them on the mission tilt his sunglasses down and give Cloud a long look.

"Cloud?! What in Hel are you doing here, kid? I thought Missus Wolf cut ties with Shinra once I left."

"My mother decided I was too much trouble to keep in Nibelheim. The moment I turn legal Nibelheim age, she all but kicked me out."

Zack looked between the Turk and Cloud, confused. The Turk raised one eyebrow, pushing his sunglasses back up in a way that was eerily similar to Cloud doing the same with his reading glasses..

"So you're, what, fourteen?"

"I turned fifteen last week, thank you very much."

"Huh. Sorry. I mean, the last time I saw you, you were four. Playing with that puppy of yours. How is Fenrir, by the way."

"This is the first time you see me in eleven years and you ask about my _dog_? Not Mom, not me. My _dog_."

"Aw, I know Missus Wolf is fine. She's an ex-Turk. There's a reason they called her Strife, and it wasn't just 'cause it was her last name. She handles herself well. As do you, apparently, my little SOLDIER."

Cloud was mumbling something along the lines of "yeah, she does" when Zack suddenly exploded.

"Okay, what is going on here?!" Cloud and the mystery Turk both tilted their heads at him in confusion, angle and frown so similar that the first thought that went through Zack's mind was, "Hell yeah, they're related."

"Oh, umm…" Cloud started. The Turk stepped in, thrusting his hand out for Zack to shake.

"They call me Legend here. I had a name at one point, I guess, but it doesn't mean much now." Zack shook Legend's hand, impressed by the firm grip. "Thank you for being so kind to my son." Yeah, there was a resemblance. Not big, but still there. Same nose, same eye shape and color, same spiky hair style- though, Legend's hair was more orange than blond- same polite mannerisms and hints of mountain drawl.

"Ah, no problem, Legend. He's a good kid." The trio walked towards the helicopter waiting for them. Sephiroth was already there, head tilted back against the metal. He glanced in their direction and smiled.

"Please do not talk as though I am not here, Zack," Cloud grumbled. Zack and Legend laughed as Zack and Cloud climbed into the cabin and Legend into the pilot's seat.

"Hello, Legend. I see you and your son got back together."

"I hate you too, General."

Sephiroth smirked, barely a tug on the corner of his lips, then burst out laughing. Zack froze halfway into the chopper, staring at the Silver General in shock.

"Am I the only one who did not know this man before today?" The ravenette grumbled. Cloud frowned.

"Get your ass in, Zack."

Zack hesitated again, then hopped in and claimed the seat beside the blond. He leaned toward Cloud, smirking.

"I can bet my pants I've used the curse 'son of a Turk' a million times. In your case, it's true, huh?"

"Zackary Caleb Fair, if you do not back off right now, I am going to nail you in the face."

Zack pouted. He poked at Cloud's ribs. "Come on, Cloudy. Why'd ya never tell me? I even told you my middle name!"

Cloud gave Zack an evil sideways look, smiling like a madman. He lifted his foot and made a distinctly Sephiroth-like move, firmly thumping the metal helicopter floor twice. Legend reacted automatically (probably thinking it was Sephiroth who did that) and the whole vehicle shook as it started up. Zack gave a very undignified yelp, jumping out of his seat and nearly tripping over himself as he hurried over to the Silver General. Even Cloud's non-enhanced ears could hear the raven-haired man over the roar of the rotors.

"SON OF A FUCKING TURK!"


	3. Message

**I don't know where this came from, but I had fun writing it. I hope you enjoy.**

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The familiar buzz of the PHS ringing filled Sephiroth's room. He groaned and rolled over, grabbed for it, missed, smacked the bedside table, and succeeded in knocking the offending device off its perch onto the floor. Once he finally managed to retrieve the damned thing, he flicked it open and checked his messages.

And smiled when he saw who the most recent message was from.

_CS- Hey, Sephiroth. Just got off duty. _

Sephiroth rolled over to lay on his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows so it would be easier to message back.

_SH- Really? What time is it there? Late, right? It's early here._

He'd met CS, _Cloud Strife,_ a few months ago in Junon just before getting shipped off to the Western Continent. He was a shy boy, blonde and short and _spiky_- both his hair and his personality. They'd literally run into each other, and Strife had a litany of choice words about Sephiroth's- unlikely- origins before realizing just who he was cussing out.

He immediately apologized, which in turn caused Sephiroth to apologize, simply because it was his fault in the first place. Sephiroth then realized he had caused the poor boy to drop a probably well-earned lunch,- troopers really weren't paid as much as Shinra made it seem- which he offered to compensate for by taking him out and buying him another one. They ended up chatting about seemingly random stuff over their meal.

To say they had hit it off immediately would be an understatement. Even though it had been a bit awkward at first, their three days together had been the best time Sephiroth had experienced since Angeal and Genesis had…

He left Junon with Cloud's PHS number scribbled in marker on the back of his hand.

_CS- It's about midnight here. Oh, shit. That means it's about four in the morning there, isn't it? Sorry if I woke you up._

Sephiroth chuckled, shaking his head. Always the little mother Chocobo when it came to people he was worried about. Zack apparently got the same treatment.

_SH- Don't worry about it. I was suppose to be up in an hour anyway. No problem being up a little early. Especially if it means I get to talk to you~_

The image of the blush that was probably covering the little trooper's cheeks made Sephiroth smile a bit more. Just imagining it… The boy was absolutely adorable.

_CS- If you say so… Since when did they shut off the lights at a certain time of night? Don't they know that some of us don't get in until, I don't know, late?_

Seph chuckled, shaking his head a bit and shifting so that his arms didn't fall asleep.

_SH- They do it at the main Shinra building too. It doesn't bother SOLDIERs, but it might be a good idea to carry a flashlight with you. Knowing you, wandering in the dark like that, you're bound to get hurt._

_CS- I'm not that much of a clutz! Though, you are right… It's a good thing I have my phone, huh?_

_SH- Yes. But remember a flashlight next time, please. If not for your own safety, do it for my sanity._

_CS- Yes, *sir*._

Ah, there was the familiar snark. Cloud never did take well to being given orders. It was part of the reason why he was still a trooper and not a SOLDIER already. He was not by any means lacking in sword skills (though his aim with a gun was worse than atrocious) or intelligence, but an abundance of disciplinary referrals caused the people overlooking the SOLDIER Program (namely Lazard) to "reconsider" until the problem was fixed. Not that Zack hadn't had a similar record, only for different things. But in Zack's case, it was stupid pranks that normally ended in him or someone else getting hurt or something getting destroyed.

In Cloud's case, it was mouthing off superior officers, ignoring orders in favor of plans that usually ended better than what the original orders would have resulted in but still managed to piss off his superior officers, and- against orders- aborting missions that Cloud deemed too dangerous for him and his companions to continue and that would have ended in more casualties than Cloud was willing to allow (more than zero). Sephiroth and Cloud were working together to fix this problem, but… Well, Cloud's stubbornness could be both a blessing and a vice.

Sephiroth started the slightest bit when he realized Cloud had still been talking while he was letting his thoughts wander.

_CS- Hey, you think I can call you tomorrow? It doesn't really matter if it's voice or video, I just wanna hear your voice._

_SH- I don't see why you shouldn't be able to. Let's see… You know what? Just call me when you wake up. _

_CS- But, what if you're in the middle of something?_

_SH- Call me when you wake up, Cloud._

Sephiroth couldn't wait.


End file.
